Edu 'still hoping' for Arsenal deal

The Arsenal midfielder Edu says that he still hopes to stay with the Gunners after his contract expires in the summer.

The Arsenal midfielder Edu says that he still hopes to stay with the Gunners after his contract expires in the summer.

The Brazilian has been linked with moves to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, but he told the Spanish newspaper, AS, yesterday that he has not given up hope of staying at Highbury. He said: "They [Arsenal] called me to negotiate and I told them it was going to be easy to reach agreement. The first offer was not what I hoped for and after a second contact, also not what I wanted, they said to me they would call again and still I am hoping."

The lack of a third offer has meant Edu has been forced to consider a move away from the north London club, which he joined in 2001 for a fee of £6m. He added: "It saddens me because I hoped that somebody at the club would say, 'We have been mistaken, here is a new contract'. I am studying all the offers and see what agrees with my football. I have not made any decision and will not until January 1."

Edu insisted that Claudio Ranieri's Valencia had the same chance of securing his services as the more illustrious duo of Real and Barça. He said: "The three clubs are enormous. If I had to sign for one of the teams today, I would not know what to do - they are all special.

"In Madrid people speak just about the players - but Valencia enchants me because they have such a team spirit.

"I want to go to a club that gains titles and I want to play matches. I am 26 years old and I am full of confidence, and I want to feel important and respected.

"I must be very calm and very cool. It will be a contract for four or five years and so this is the most important decision of my life and I must make sure it is the correct one for my life, future and professional career."

Edu, along with his midfield colleague Fredrik Ljungberg, should be fit to return to action at the end of the month, the Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, said yesterday. Ljungberg has missed the last two games with a migraine while Edu has been out since breaking his toe on 9 November. Both players will miss Sunday's game at Portsmouth but will be in contention to face Fulham on Boxing Day.

Liverpool may launch an £8m January bid for their long-time target Fernando Morientes. The Real Madrid striker has been linked with a move to Anfield since the summer and is behind Raul, Ronaldo and Michael Owen in the pecking order at the Bernabeu. The Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, is keen to bolster his forward options with Djibril Cissé out with a broken leg until next season.